Administration - 603-271-2392

The New Hampshire State Library received a $5,000 grant for We the People: Assessing the 18th- and 19th-Century New Hampshire Maps and Atlases from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The project consists of a conservation assessment of the state library’s New Hampshire and New England map and atlas collection from the 18th and 19th centuries, and the purchase of storage furniture and preservation supplies.

“The Humanities convey the story of civilization, and today’s NEH grant recipients are deeply engaged in advancing that story through new scholarly research and taking important strides to preserve the material record of our history and culture,” said NEH Chairman Bruce Cole. “NEH supports projects that are rigorous and wide-ranging, and substantial in their examination and illumination of the great events and great ideas of the past in our own nation and throughout the world.”

Janet Eklund, Administrator of Library Operations for the New Hampshire State Library adds, “ This is the second NEH grant the New Hampshire State Library has received in four years to assess its humanities collections. These grants provide much-needed funds for important conservation and preservation projects such at this. I encourage all libraries to apply for similar funding which can assist them in reaching their goals.” The deadline for this year’s NEH Preservation Assistance Grants is May 15. For more information, you can visit their website at www.neh.gov.

Is there a museum or a library in your community that deserves national recognition? The Institute of Museum and Library Services is currently accepting nominations for the 2006 National Awards for Museum and Library Service.

The National Awards for Museum and Library Service were created to underscore the vital role of museums and libraries as leaders in our democratic society. The award recognizes museums and libraries that demonstrate a core commitment to public service through innovative programs and active partnerships that address the changing needs of the communities they serve. This national recognition honors institutions that have created real value in their communities and have become indispensable partners in community investment. To read about the 2005 winners, please see: http://www.imls.gov/whatsnew/current/113005.htm.

The National Awards for Museum and Library Service is the nation's highest honor for the extraordinary public service provided by these institutions. An award ceremony will be held in Washington, DC for the winning institutions, followed by celebrations in each recipient's own community. In addition, each institution receives $10,000.

Any individual may submit a nomination for libraries and museums of all sizes and types. To be considered, nominees must submit all required information by February 15, 2006. For a nomination form and to learn more about the awards, please access http://www.imls.gov/grants/museum/mus_nams.asp for museums and http://www.imls.gov/grants/library/lib_nals.htm for libraries.

Center for the Book - 603-271-2866

The 10 nominees for the Ladybug Picture Book Award 2006 have been selected by a group of school and public librarians. Please visit the Center for the Book website for the list and for more information about this book award. www.nh.gov/nhsl/bookcenter/programs/ladybug.html

Library Development Services - 603-271-2865 (Concord) - 1-800-462-1726 (Lancaster)

The CHILIS Conference will be held on Thursday, March 9, 2006 at the Margate Resort in Laconia. The conference will feature the Kids, Books and the Arts Showcase as well as teen programming ideas. Registration forms will be sent soon and more information will be posted to the CHILIS website.

Librarians can now find a directory of NH Children’s Authors and Illustrators who do school and library visits on the CHILIS website at http://www.chilisnh.org/directory.html.. All of the information comes directly from the authors and illustrators themselves. Inclusion in the directory does not mean that the state library endorses the author or illustrator. Librarians should get references before engaging any of the authors and illustrators in the directory.

Ahoy mateys! It's time to order your t-shirts and materials for the NH Summer Reading Program 2006--Treasure Reading!&You can find information and order forms on the CHILIS website at http://www.chilisnh.org/srorder.html. To preview the colorful artwork by this year's illustrator, Tracey Dahl Carrier, visit http://www.laconialibrary.org/ChilisSummerReading.htm, where you can also download order forms.

Order forms will be sent by mail or van in early January, but why wait? Get the forms online and start ordering your t-shirts, bookmarks, reading logs, certificates, and posters now. Don't miss the chance to get the manual on CD for just $4. The deadline for all forms is February 8, 2006.

NHAIS Services - 603-271-2141

NHU-PAC started 2006 with 68,583 more bibliographic records than a year earlier for a total of 1,636,085. There was a net gain of 307,337 holdings for a total of 4,821,874. That averages out to more than 1300 new titles and more than 5900 new holdings every week! It's not just a matter of throwing new things into the database: more than 23,000 bibliographic records were replaced with updated or corrected information last year and hundreds of duplicate records were merged. No wonder it felt busy around here. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated in making the NHU-PAC the valuable resource that it is. NHAIS libraries will be receiving individual reports of their 2005 NHU-PAC usage in the next few weeks.

Z39.50 searching is now available for the NHU-PAC. If you'd like to use a Z39.50 connection to search and download records from the NHU-PAC, contact Charlie Le Blanc at 271-2130 or cleblanc@library.state.nh.us for details.

Please note that you will still be required to add your holdings to the NHU-PAC on a regular basis in order to participate in ILL and that you cannot do this directly through Z39.50.

There's something new in the NHU-PAC: Topical Reading Lists. Look for the subtab of that name under Librarian's Tools. Currently you'll find a list for an upcoming television series on the French and Indian War and a list of books about library technical services. If you have a reading list you'd like to have included on this page, contact Mary Russell at mrussell@library.state.nh.us.